AwesomeGod

Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works? (1) This is perhaps the most important question in all of Christian theology. This question is the cause of the Reformation, the split between the Protestant churches and Catholic Church. This question is a key difference between biblical Christianity and most of the "Christian" cults. Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works? Am I saved just by believing in Jesus, or do I have to believe in Jesus and do certain things? The question of faith alone or faith plus works is made difficult by some hard-to-reconcile Bible passages. Compare Romans 3:28, 5:1 and Galatians 3:24 with James 2:24. Some see a difference between Paul (salvation is by faith alone) and James (salvation is by faith plus works). Paul dogmatically says that justification is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), while James appears to be saying that justification is by faith plus works. This apparent problem is answered by examining what exactly Ja...

THEME: THE PRICE OF BEING A STANDARD MEMORISE: Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon. Daniel 3:30 READ: Daniel 3:14-18 14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace;  and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be i...

TOPIC: THE BLESSED OF GOD (II) Read: Proverbs 10:22-25 MEMORISE: _The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it_ (Proverbs 10:22). EXPOSITION God’s blessing is multifaceted. In part one of this study, we discussed God’s blessing in form of protection over His people’s lives. Here, we want to discuss His blessings in form of provision and wealth for those who carry it. Divine blessing is also something that gives you a sense of peace and freedom from anxiety or pain. It is a higher force that operates on somebody that carries it. In Proverbs 23:4, we are warned: _”Labour not to be rich”._ We are not to overwork to be rich. The Scripture does not say we should not labour at all. But we are to labour not to be rich. In fact, we are to live to work, not to work to live. If you are only working to live, that means you are only living for survival. Our goal as Christians to labour (work) is to be blessed one can be rich without being blessed, but one cann...

QUESTION ABOUT GOD Is God real? How can I know for sure that God is real? (1) We know that God is real because He has revealed Himself to us in three ways: in creation, in His Word, and in His Son, Jesus Christ. The most basic proof of God's existence is simply what He has made. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities"his eternal power and divine nature"have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1). If I found a wristwatch in the middle of a field, I would not assume that it just "appeared" out of nowhere or that it had always existed. Based on the watch's design, I would assume it had a designer. But there is far greater design and precision in the world around us. Our measurement of time is not based on wristwatches, but on God's handiwork...

TOPIC: THE BLESSED OF GOD (I) Read: Numbers 23:19-23 MEMORISE: And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." (Numbers 22:12). EXPOSITION The most secured person in life is someone who carries the blessing of God upon his life. The word, blessing, here stands for goodness of God that flows to the lives of His own people in form of protection, favour and provision. If you are blessed of God means having divine backing in any circumstances.  When the children of Israel were waxing stronger and became multiplied in the plains of Moab, the people of Moab, were exceedingly afraid of them. They wanted to wipe them out of their land with their King, Balak, who hired a famous prophet of the day, Balaam, to curse the people. Balak had full assurance in his prophecy by saying “For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed (Numbers 22:6). It had been attitude of Balaam to threaten people...

THEME: CARE FOR THE NEEDY MEMORISE: He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Proverbs 19:17 READ: James 2:14-17 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body;  what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. MESSAGE: Caring for the needy is an issue that is very dear to the heart of the Almighty God. In Deuteronomy 15:11, He reveals His mindset to us concerning the poor: “For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” Because God is sovereign, it is needless to ask wh...

TOPIC: STRENGTH FOR ACCOMPLISHMENT Read: Luke 22:39-46 MEMORISE: _Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him_ (Luke 22:43).  EXPOSITION Our Lord Jesus Christ passed through two important and notable junctions, one after the other, when He was about to die. The experiences He gained from these two junctions added more value to His life and gave Him enough strength to face the agony of the death on the cross. The first junction was the Transfiguration Mount where Moses and Elijah appeared to Him in Glory. It was Luke alone who mentioned the subject matter of their conversation. It reads thus, “And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His  decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30-31). Literally, the word for decease is departure, an unusual word for death. It is a very weighty word, since it includes the passion, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of...

THEME: FROM ABOVE OR FROM ABROAD? MEMORISE: My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2 READ: Psalm 121:1-8 1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:  he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. MESSAGE Some people miss their blessing, breakthrough or victory in life because their attention is focused on the wrong thing. For pilgrims heading towards the temple in Jerusalem, distraction was not an option, which is why they sang the song of ...

TOPIC: HOLY SPIRIT AS THE GREAT NAFDAC NUMBER TEXT: ACTS 2:4 INTRODUCTION: Luke was the the author of this and he wrote the book in order to tell his audience about the beginning of the church and how the followers of Christ received the Spirit of God - the Spirit Christ Himself had promised them. However, in reading this particular stretch of the Bible, there are some facts to consider: 1. Why do the followers of Christ need this NAFDAC Number? Without it, they are not proven to be His own; they would find it difficult to do His work; and also, they cannot make heaven with it. 2. Examples of those who had the NAFDAC Number? Apostle Paul, Babalola, Babajide, Akandel' ede, etc. 3. Examples of those who did not receive the NAFDAC Number? Judas Iscariot, Ananias and Sapphira, etc. CONCLUSION: The worldwide mission of the church began only when the Holy Spirit came upon God's people. In a day when the Holy Spirit is often neglected, the church must learn from the Act...

TOPIC: SHINE THE LIGHT OF JESUS TEXT: MATTHEW 5:14-16 INTRODUCTION God wants Christians to dispel the darkness of sin and Satan with the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is going to illustrated this point in Matthew 5:14-16. He talks about the fact that due to their faith in Him, they have become light to the world. God wants us to light seen by the world to affect the world. What does it mean to be the light to the world? What does it mean to be the light? Concerning the words of Jesus, we are going to consider two aspects of light. Both of these observations come from Genesis 1:3-4. First, we see that light is, as Easton's Bible Dictionary calls it, The offspring of God, Secondly, Light was created by the divine command of God. Where do we shine as light? Let us first look at the locations Jesus talked about in our passage. He said, "of the world" (v.14), "all the house" (v. 15), and "before men" (v. 16). It seems obvious that He ...

THEME: ARE YOU BATTLE-READY? MEMORISE: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 READ: Ephesians 6:10-18 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherew...